I never planned on becoming a mother figure to a four-year-old stranger. But life had other plans when a little boy crawled into my lap during a routine flight and changed everything.
At first I thought he’d mistaken me for someone else. But as minutes passed with no concerned parents appearing, I realized something was wrong. Little Finn (as I later learned his name) seemed to sense safety with me, falling asleep as I awkwardly held him. The flight crew’s growing concern mirrored my own – how could no one miss this child?
The truth was worse than I imagined. When his parents finally appeared, it became clear this wasn’t just a momentary lapse. Later phone calls with social services revealed a pattern of neglect. Without fully thinking it through, I heard myself saying “I’ll take him.”
What followed was the most challenging, rewarding half-year of my life. Finn brought chaos and joy in equal measure – from spilled juice to spontaneous hugs. When the court reunited him with his rehabilitated parents, I cried for days. But I’ll always cherish being his safe harbor during life’s stormiest chapter.
